Kate Steinway, who took over as Executive Director of the Connecticut Historical Society early in January, must feel a bit like Guenevere at a jousting match. Ever since she announced that the CHS would be forced to close the Old State House beginning in July, the Governor’s office and the legislature have both been working - if not at odds, at least on separate tracks - to assure its salvation.

      The competition between the two to save the state’s most important historical building ratcheted up yesterday, as the Governor announced that along with temporary funding, she was forming a committee (including the State Historian) to develop a plan to assure the future of the Old State House. The governor’s announcement drew an immediate response from Donald Williams, President pro tempore of the state Senate, and James Amaan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, that they already had a plan to take control of, and assure the salvation of the site, which would be released today.

     Although the prospect of a battle between the two branches over the OSH is not wonderful, the attention given to history and heritage in this session of the legislature is important. According to veteran state house watchers, there has been an unprecedented attention among lawmakers to the importance of history and heritage preservation in Connecticut. Moreover, the concern that Connecticut’s youth grow up with an education in and appreciation for Connecticut’s signal contribution to the nation’s culture is palpable.

     What the outcome of all this will be has yet to be determined. One can hope, though, that at the end of the session, history and heritage organizations will have a clearer mandate and greater resources to make sure that the state’s past informs the nation’s future.